Iga Swiatek faced stiff opposition from Yulia Putintseva at the 2024 Italian Open in Rome, but the Polish player still managed to win in two sets.
Putintseva is a very good clay player who moves well around the court and can hit some really tough angles. She's demonstrated that many times in the past, frustrating some of the best on the surface.
One of the best on the surface certainly includes the current world no. 1 player, and she came into this match with an active winning streak after a tremendous Madrid Open and a good start in the Italian capital.
Initially, Swiatek looked quite focused on creating early break chances. She couldn't break initially, but she did break some games after that, taking a 4-2 lead. The overwhelming power of the Polish player was too much for Putintseva to handle early on.
The first set finished 6-3 for the top seed, but things didn't go as smoothly in the second set. Part of what makes the type of aggressive style that the Polish player plays high risk is the chance that she misses a lot.
It doesn't happen often, but it can happen, and it did happen a bit in this match. Putintseva used that to her advantage, jumping out to a 3-0 lead, but eventually, things settled back in.
Swiatek's movement helped her find some good angles when the shots weren't going and once the confidence returned, the scoreline evened at 4-4.
Winning the next game would have been hugely important for Putintiseva to cut Swiatek's momentum, but she didn't, and the end came not long after that, as Swiatek is just too experienced to lose such an advantage.
The final score was 6-3 6-4 for Swiatek, who will play in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome.
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